Lee's Tavern

"Lee’s Tavern feels like it’s frozen in an era before cell phones were invented. Every table at this 1940s-founded sports bar on Staten Island features at least one pitcher of light beer and a couple of thin-crust pizzas oozing cheese onto paper plates. The pies here are some of our favorite in the Staten-Island style, with slightly charred bottoms and crust bubbles you could break with a single little tap. Always order the clam pie, even if you were raised to think that mollusks and cheese don’t belong together. The mild, low-moisture cheese, fresh hunks of garlic, and briny clams work so well together that they should form an LLC." - bryan kim, willa moore, kenny yang, carlo mantuano, molly fitzpatrick

"Lee’s Tavern is another place that makes excellent Staten Island-style pizzas. Come to this Dongan Hills spot on a weekend afternoon, grab a seat at the bar next to a group of regulars who are here every week for the game, and order a pitcher and a few pies. Like Denino’s, they’re known for their clam pie, and if you are a bivalve skeptic, just try one bite of crunchy crust and chewy clam sprinkled with parsley and then we can talk. But now that we've gotten that out of the way, let’s discuss the Buffalo calamari. It's exactly what it sounds like—fried calamari, crispy-gone-soggy in spicy Buffalo sauce, with blue cheese for dipping. The combination works shockingly well, and you might look at all chicken wings like imposters for the rest of your life. " - willa moore

"For diners seeking out a classic bar pie, Lee’s is worth the ferry to Staten Island and ride on the light rail to the Dongan Hills. The low-key corner tavern near the station serves a small, wafer-thin pizza meant to be consumed with a pint of beer, attracting mainly neighborhood locals since it swung its doors open in 1940. Usually topped with a single ingredient in addition to cheese and tomato sauce, the pies are well-priced and come full-sized, too." - Robert Sietsema

"Lee’s is what you might call the Cheers of the city’s southernmost borough. Between the friendly staff and proximity to the Dongan Hills SIR station, it’s hard not to fall in love with this classic tavern. Though the camaraderie is certainly worth the visit, let’s be real - we’re here for the clam pie. The clams are briney and smooth, as bivalves ought to be, and hidden amongst an avalanche of melty cheese, fresh garlic, and your choice of red or white sauce (I prefer the white). It’s hard to create a memorable bar pie, but Lee’s has the magic formula down pat." - alexis priester

"Lee’s Tavern is frozen in an era without cell phone reception or the team known as the New York Metropolitans. It’s a 1940s-founded sports bar on Staten Island where every table features at least one pitcher of light beer and a couple of cracker-thin crust pizza oozing onto paper plates. The pies here are some of our favorite in the Staten-Island style, with slightly charred bottoms and crust bubbles you could break with a single little tap. I always order their clam pie. Even if you were raised to think that molluscs and cheese don’t belong together, Lee’s Tavern’s clam pie is proof that food rules are mostly stupid. The mild, low-moisture cheese, fresh hunks of garlic, and briny clams work so well together that they should form an LLC." - hannah albertine